Celebrating our sports stars!

Congratulations to Nurul Irbah Binte Muhammad Razali, Year 4 (Major in Life Sciences) and Lucas Chew, Year 2 (Cross Disciplinary Programme in Environmental Studies) on receiving Merit and Commendation awards, respectively, in the Sports category in the NUS Achievement Awards (2024) held on 26 October 2024!

Irbah, Captain of NUS Silat and national swimmer Lucas, who is the Captain of NUS College’s Swim Club, share how they are made of sterner stuff – thanks to the discipline, hard work and sheer grit that go into bringing glory to their sports on the national and international stage. 

What are your sentiments receiving the award? 

Irbah: Winning this award is an incredible honour. It is a reflection of the hard work and dedication I have put into the sport and the support from my family, teammates and coaches.

Lucas: It is a nice pat on the back after a challenging year of balancing my sports and academics. I know my successes have not come easily and I am glad that I have been given the opportunity to have my efforts recognised.

Please highlight some of your contributions.

Irbah: The ASEAN University Games (AUG) (2024) was my first international competition in five years. I had to learn and adapt to many new techniques and gameplay styles.  Winning the Women’s Class A category and securing a gold medal for Singapore was truly thrilling! As the team captain, I also take joy in guiding and mentoring my teammates through training and competitions.

Lucas: This year is special for me. I have set multiple new Singapore records in both lifesaving and finswimming. I spent my “off-season” in season and trained more than eight sessions a week, without a break, for the past year. I was driven by my personal goals to medal at the South East Asian Championships (2024), make the finals of the Asian Championships (2025) and qualify for The World Games.

What are some the challenges you faced? How did you overcome them?

Irbah: One of the key challenges I faced was adapting the team to a new coach. Some team members were initially resistant to the change, which affected morale, especially as we approached competition season. I took on the role of a mediator, facilitating communication between the team and our coach. We worked hard to foster mutual understanding and strengthen the team’s cohesion, ensuring that everyone remained focused and united.

Lucas: Juggling school commitments is tough enough but juggling between two sports was particularly challenging. I sought every opportunity to spend time in the water such that I averaged 26 hours a week in the pool (an hour more than I spend in school for classes) and any free time I had was dedicated to developing my skill further. Thankfully, I had a strong support network of coaches and training partners, family, professors and many understanding group project teammates.

How do these experiences value add to your undergraduate journey?

Irbah: Through NUS Silat, I have made lifelong friends and I had the privilege of working alongside coaches I admire. Silat also provides a much-needed outlet for stress relief  and helps me recharge. Leading the team in the sport that I love is a meaningful experience, as it helped me develop important life skills which have shaped me as an athlete, a student and a leader.

Lucas: Being so intimately a part of a sport is being a part of a community of highly driven hard workers who will never settle for less than what they set out to do. And when they fail, it is taken as an opportunity to try again and do better. They say you are who you spend time with, and I truly attribute my success to the people around me who inspire me every day.